Dwight E. Davis (born October 11, 1949) is a retired American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player. After playing college basketball at the

University of Houston The University of Houston (UH) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1927, UH is a member of the University of Houston System and the List of universities in Texas by enrollment, university in Texas ...

from 1969–72, Davis was selected as the 3rd overall pick of 1972 NBA draft by the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

. Nicknamed "Double D", Davis played for five seasons in the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

College career

Graduating from Worthing High School in

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, Davis enrolled at

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, recruited by Hall of Fame Coach

Guy Lewis Guy Vernon Lewis II (March 19, 1922 – November 26, 2015) was an American basketball player and coach. He served as the head men's basketball coach at the University of Houston from 1956 to 1986. Lewis led his Houston Cougars to five appearan ...

. As a sophomore in 1969–1970, Davis averaged 19.9 points and 10.3 rebounds as Houston finished 25–5 and advanced to the

1970 NCAA University Division basketball tournament The 1970 NCAA University Division basketball tournament involved 25 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 7, 1970, and ended with the champio ...

. Davis averaged 20.1 points, 12.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists as the 1970–1971 Cougars were 22–7. In the

1971 NCAA University Division basketball tournament The 1971 NCAA University Division basketball tournament involved 25 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 13, 1971, and ended with the champi ...

, Davis had 30 points and 8 rebounds in Houston's opening round win over New Mexico state and averaged 22 points and 10 rebounds in the Cougars' three games. As a senior in 1971–1972, Davis averaged 24.4 points, 11.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists. Houston finished 20–7 and again appeared in the NCAA Tournament. Davis earned a BS degree from Houston and is a member of the Bauer Business School Circle of Honor.

NBA career

Davis was the No. 3 overall pick of the 1972 NBA draft by the

. He averaged 9.4 points and 7.0 rebounds as a rookie for the Cavaliers and Coach

Bill Fitch William Charles Fitch (May 19, 1932 – February 2, 2022) was an American professional basketball coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He developed multiple teams into playoff contenders and won an NBA championship with the Bost ...

. Davis was named to the First Team All-Rookie Team along with Freddie Boyd,

Bob McAdoo Robert Allen McAdoo Jr. ( ; born September 25, 1951) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he was a five-time NBA All-Star and named the NBA Most ...

Lloyd Neal Lloyd Neal (born December 10, 1950) is an American former professional basketball player born in Talbotton, Georgia. A 6'7" center/ forward from Tennessee State University, Neal spent his entire professional career (1972–1979) with the Nat ...

and Jim Price. Davis had the best year of his NBA career in 1973–1974, averaging 12.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists. He followed that season with a 9.8 point and 5.9 rebound season for the Cavaliers in 1974–1975. On May 29, 1975 Davis was traded by the Cavaliers to the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...

for

Butch Beard Alfred "Butch" Beard Jr. (born May 5, 1947) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He was the starting point guard with the 1975 NBA champion Golden State Warriors. Career Early years Beard played high school basketbal ...

, a 1975 1st round draft pick (

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was later selected) and a 1975 2nd round draft pick (Mel Utley was later selected). In 72 games with the Warriors in 1975–1976, Davis averaged 4.2 points and 3.1 rebounds, in 12 minutes per game, as the Warriors advanced to the Western Division Finals. The next season he played in just 33 games with 4.8 point and 2.9 rebound averages, as he suffered a career ending injury. He tore his quadriceps on a play against the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

on February 20, 1977. Overall in his NBA career with the

(1972–75) and

(1975–77), The 6 ft 8 in

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

averaged 8.6 points and 5.9 rebounds in 340 career regular season games.

Personal

Davis currently lives in New Hampshire, with his wife Gayle. He is the father of four children. Davis is the past chair, vice-chair and served on the Board of Directors for the National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA) from 2014 – 2018. In 2007, Davis was appointed by

New Hampshire Governor The governor of New Hampshire is the head of government of New Hampshire. The governor is elected during the biennial state general election in November of even-numbered years. New Hampshire is one of only two states, along with bordering Verm ...

John Lynch to the N.H. Workforce Youth Council, and in 2008 he became the chair.About the Council
''nhworks.org''. Davis has been reappointed to the WOIA board by Governors Hassan and Sununu. He served as a board member of the Greater Seacoast United Way, and is a current board member of Prospero Health and Cambridge Trust, and President of the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire. In 2014, Dwight launched the Davis Care Group with his wife. They operate Senior Helpers of Southern New Hampshire providing in-home non-medical care. In 2016 they were named "Rookie of the Year" by Senior Helpers. Since opening their doors they have received many awards on behalf of their team, including the 2018 Business Excellence Award for Healthcare by the New Hampshire Business Review. He was named one of the top 200 most influential business leaders in the State of New Hampshire in 2019 and 2021. He is a founding member of the BAPOC-NH, a group which is focused on bringing people of color together to advance racial justice and to build intergroup connections and relationships.

Honors

* Davis was inducted into the "Hall of Honor" at the University of Houston in 2006.

References

External links

@ basketball-reference.com
Career NCAA stats
@ thedraftreview.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Dwight 1949 births Living people African-American basketball players All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Houston Cleveland Cavaliers draft picks Cleveland Cavaliers players Golden State Warriors players Houston Cougars men's basketball players Power forwards (basketball) 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople